Crossing the Distance - extras
by Dana-Eliza
Summary: This story accompanies Crossing the Distance, a SasuNaru story and how they met online. This contains chapters from different perspectives, explaining more about the other people around the lovely pair. Expect Itachi, Sakura, Mikoto and Fugaku at least. T-rated for language at times. Make sure you check the main story first.
1. Itachi 1

The first chapter of extras. This chapter goes along with chapter 4 of Crossing the Distance and is what happens to Itachi while the Uchiha family is waking up. The one where Naruto doesn't have a clue where Sasuke is and only finds out at the very end.

Please enjoy!

...

_Itachi_

It hadn't always been like this. Itachi still had many memories of the better times, when everything was still alright and he had nothing to worry about. Playing with Sasuke had never been a problem. He could keep up with every little trick Sasuke pulled out his sleeve. School had always been easy. Every class he passed with flying colours. He was the smart one of the family, the one who worked hard and came back with the results his parents would be proud of. Sasuke did the same, but Itachi always felt a little like their prodigy or something along the line.

That idea came crashing down fast though. Soon after he had started high school his eyesight had started to worsen. Still that didn't mean they had anything to worry about. Glasses could be bought and through Itachi could see perfectly again. There was no problem at all. They just needed to get stronger ones every year, but that was hardly something to worry about.

Until that faithful day where he heard his parents whisper something to each other, thinking their kids had gone to bed already. Sasuke had been only twelve at the time, still so innocent. He hardly noticed anything. His little brother was just happy, always smiling whenever Itachi was around. So it wasn't Sasuke who had overheard their parents speak. It was the more observant Itachi who listened in and found them worrying. A condition that had been in the Uchiha family for a long time. It didn't occur too often, but once in a while it jumped up. A gene that eventually made you blind.

Perhaps Itachi should've jumped in and asked more about it instead of disappearing back into the shadows, but he couldn't. What if it were true? What if that really happened? Itachi rather not think of that, so the idea was stuffed away somewhere in the back of his mind. Every day in school he made sure to not show the obvious signs of worsening eyesight. They didn't buy new glasses as often and Itachi was pleased with that. It meant it wasn't as bad as his parents might've thought. That at some point he walked around with glasses as thick as an elderly would wear went completely by him.

And now he was 25, still living with his parents, hardly dating because he didn't want to bother any potential partner with his problems, and at his job they had started to question his capability. All because of his eyes. Itachi realised his life did not really have a very happy ending. Yes, he would still live long, but it's not easy to live without sight. He had accepted that possibility now, had fully embraced that outcome to be exact, even if he did not mention it to anyone. Except for his parents.

A week ago he had finally dared to speak to them. It was difficult, but the hard truth was now finally out on the table. Itachi could be angry at them for not talking about this sooner with him, but hadn't he done the same? Running away from the problems until they could no longer be denied?

They were supportive, but Itachi hadn't expected anything less. Never was he forced to do anything against his will and perhaps that's why they had let him so free in getting new glasses and getting tests for his eyes. He was very independent, always had been, but now for maybe the first time he needed them more than ever. Having his father by his side as they went to the hospital to do the tests was the best thing that could happen. Itachi had never been so scared in his entire life. But his father was there, holding his hand. No matter that he was a 25 year old man already. To Fugaku he was still his little boy and that meant the world to Itachi at that point.

Unfortunately it was already too late.

The test results would come in in a week time and Itachi was anxious to find out what the results would be. It never got to that point though.

It was a normal morning in the Uchiha household. Still early, but everyone was already awake, except for Itachi. Mother could be heard rummaging in the kitchen, getting breakfast ready for everyone before they all went out the door. Father had already joined her. Itachi could imagine him sitting at the kitchen table, reading the newspaper on his IPad, his newest toy. Didn't matter they also had a prescription one a paper version of it. Sasuke would've just crawled out of bed. It depended on how late his classes started, but usually the guy had to take a leak at about seven in the morning, always. It was funny how well he timed it. The click of the door opposite Itachi's room notified him it was now seven o'clock. A few more minutes before his alarm would ring and he had to get up as well, to get ready to go to work. Such a nice routine they all had.

A smile graced his lips as he thought of how well it all worked together. Their parents were still incredibly happy together and even though Sasuke didn't have the best bond with them, they still loved each other unconditionally. Sasuke's little rebellion with a previous boyfriend had not improved their relationship at all, but the guy had been single for quite some time now and everything was slowly improving. It made Itachi incredibly happy, because this family mattered the most. Sasuke mattered the most. If Itachi could not achieve full happiness, then Sasuke at least had to.

The sound of the alarm made Itachi groan, because his bed was still too comfortable. But it was time to get up. First he turned onto his back and stretched his arms out, letting his alarm beep for a little while longer. With his arms and legs stretched out around him Itachi finally opened his eyes to conquer the day. Everything was white…

Frantically Itachi moved his eyes around, trying to find a point he recognised. His desk on the other side of the room, his clothing rack right beside the door. Nothing. Sometimes an outline of a shape would pop up, but that was it. Everything was just too bright. He didn't dare to move, didn't even dare to shout for help. He couldn't, wouldn't.

It was eventually Sasuke who barged in, annoyed by the alarm clock that was still beeping on Itachi's nightstand. At first he wanted to scowl until he saw Itachi lying there, motionless. Itachi had no idea what exactly Sasuke saw on his face then, but he heard himself whisper, 'I can't see…'

And then was when Sasuke started to panic. Immediately Sasuke started to scream for help before he came rushing towards Itachi. Cold hands were placed against his face and he could feel Sasuke's breath fanning over his face. Was there perhaps a sign in his eyes, a hint of what might be going on? Itachi still isn't sure what Sasuke saw, but he heard a soft sob bubble up out of his brother's throat.

Fear.

Yes, that was what Itachi was feeling as well. Never had he been so frightened. Two pairs of footsteps came storming up the stairs. Itachi heard them hesitate in the doorway, but then first mother came for him, her hands grabbing one of his. Their father walked slower and only gazed down at him for a moment before fishing out his mobile. He called for an ambulance…

He could feel their stares on him. Sasuke sitting beside him on the bed, hovering over him as if at any point it could all change, his mother holding his hand, whispering comforting words to him, telling him it would all be alright, and his father just standing there, waiting for a miracle to happen or the ambulance to just be there.

Itachi had no idea how long he had lain there until the ambulance actually arrived. It came bursting into the street with its sirens on, waking up the whole neighbourhood effectively. Gossip would start soon enough Itachi expected. This village was small and the people weren't that friendly behind your back. Why was he even thinking of this? Shouldn't he be worried of what was going on? Though he knew already. This was just it. The point of no return. The gene had done its job and now Itachi would go through life without every seeing a thing again. If he had known it would happen so fast he would've appreciated certain sightings more.

The cycling teenagers blocking the cycle paths while shouting rude comments at people that tried to pass. The traffic that would be stuck right as you drove up to the highway and the people wouldn't let you squish your car in as well, because everyone was in a hurry. The line for coffee at the logic shop where everyone gathered and the employees were rude to you, because they had all just gotten out of bed. It seemed like the unimportant moments, but even that he would miss. It belonged in his routine. It was part of his life and now he would never be able to do all that. He would depend on so many people.

Father had left the room to open the door for the ambulance workers and the stretcher was soon rolled in. The whole journey towards the car went by in a blur. Lifted off the bed to be laid down on a very uncomfortable thing and then being taped into it or something. Off the stairs and then they rolled him right into the car, the wheels safely tugged under the stretcher now.

There was a struggle outside on who would join Itachi inside the ambulance and eventually no one did, because one of the staff members of the ambulance said he wanted peace inside the truck and he needed to ask some questions as well. A last challenging shout from Sasuke's mouth was ignored and their father simply ordered him to get into the car, because they would drive after him

It all felt so final when the doors were slammed shut. The lights in the truck were even brighter than inside his room and Itachi squinted his eyes to keep it out. The person sitting with him in the back was rummaging through something. Paper crumbled and he heard a pen scribbling something on it before the man finally turned to Itachi. The questions asked seemed all so pointless. If he knew his name and where he was from. If he knew what he was doing before and then what his healthcare agency was. As if Itachi knew this right now. There were other things to worry about. Which agency insured you for this anyway?

Speeding through the streets they reached the hospital in a mere ten minutes. The guy next to him stepped out as soon as the truck stopped and with the help of someone else they wheeled the stretcher out of the car and inside the building. Directly around him it was chaotic, several people talking to each other at the same time, telling his story about what had happened and then asking him once more if he could tell them again. But around that, right outside their little bubble it was eerily quiet, like it can only be in a hospital. No one else was there. It was just him and three other people right beside his stretcher. They wheeled him through several doors, turning many corners and even taking up an elevator to finally end up somewhere.

His family joined in only a few minutes later, but they couldn't do anything for him. Couldn't even hold his hand. The tests they were doing were much more important and for some reason the blood results of his previous test could come in a lot faster than before, the rush really apparent now. The MRI-scan was not necessary, nor was the EEG. The blood said it all. The genes.

And while Itachi went through all these tests he could only hope that his little brother would never have to go through the same thing.

Characters © Masashi Kishimoto

Let me know what you think!

And let me know what else you would like to see here. Any chapters that have been published already that need to be written from another point of view?

Love, Dana


	2. Sakura 1

Okay, guys. I am actually really happy about how this one turned out. I postponed it a little and it was the right thing to do, because now this came out of it. It's the scene right before Naruto meets up with the group and tells them about Sasuke. It's all from Sakura's POV. Now I ask of you to not judge her for the way she reacts to this. I think everyone is nervous when introducing their new lover, no matter what. And with someone as Lee, of course it's going to be extra scary. So I believe this is a very normal way to react to all this!

Accompanies chapter 22! Enjoy!

...

With heavy feet Sakura trudged on, trying to come up with a strategy that will make her survive this day. Unfortunately something kept on distracting her. This bright green blur right next to her, wrapped tightly around skinny legs and then those orange shoes below them. What had he been thinking?! Sakura really liked this guy, but… They were going to make fun of her and maybe that shouldn't matter, but it did. These were here friends, her important friends, and they were going to judge her. Oh god, they were going to judge those awful green pants and give Lee a weird nickname. Why couldn't he just own normal clothes?!

And she knew it was awful to think that and should simply love Lee for whom he was and she did, honestly. Every silly quirk she found endearing in some way and no one has ever been as good to her as he has been these past few months. To be honest it had been Ino who had prevented Sakura from dating Lee earlier. All those snide comments and insults her friend used when she mentioned him. It shouldn't bother her and she shouldn't care, but she did. Ino was still a good friend, even if they fought a lot. And now she was dating Lee anyway.

Leaves crushed under their feet as they slowly made their way to the bench they were going to meet up at. Lee and Sakura took their time, because now they could simply enjoy their time together, in peace. Also a moment where Sakura reminded herself why she was even dating Lee in the first place. As soon as they had entered the park Lee had reached for her hand and had held it since, lightly swinging their connected hands back and forth as he spoke of the latest marathon he was training for. What Sakura liked most about Lee was how he always included her in his hobbies. She didn't even need to be there. He would simply say that knowing she would be waiting at the finish line of the next marathon was what drove him forward through every training.

Looking up at Lee, Sakura saw the excited sparkle in his eyes when he mentioned how he had broken his record yet again. The comment about his trainer still not being satisfied with his results always confused Sakura, but Lee really looked up to the guy. It was also where he had gotten his strange fashion sense from, which Sakura wasn't all too pleased with. Unfortunately she could not break this bond those two had. Gai sensei was the most important person in Lee's life it seemed. The struggle the guy went through whenever he had to choose between a moment with Sakura or training with Gai was a very funny sight to see and usually Sakura would give in and let the guy train some more. It was also his job anyway. The Olympics were creeping closer as well.

'I think it's great you broke your record again,' Sakura added to his excitement, immediately getting a very happy look back as Lee looked down at her. The sheer joy written on his face was what made her heart race inside her chest. He made her feel special and wanted. She was important.

For a moment Sakura could actually forget the judgement they were going to face and only focus on Lee, her boyfriend. The picnic table would soon come into view and she didn't know if they were late or early, but for now she wanted to postpone the moment still. Halting in her steps she forced Lee to stop as well, shooting a curious glance over his shoulder at her. 'Something wrong?'

Letting her pink dyed hair move around her Sakura shook her head in reply, keeping a sweet smile on her lips. 'Kiss me,' she muttered and with a blush rising fast on his cheeks Lee stepped forward and did as he was told. Maybe Lee wasn't the best kisser, but he always went for it and was very willing to learn. Sakura didn't mind teaching him either.

After that sweet moment Sakura felt ready to introduce him, though everyone actually already knew Lee. It was still so frightening to introduce him as her boyfriend now. It gave them both a different label and Sakura knew all too well how most people looked at Lee. Neji was his friend though, so that would work out alright. Most of the group would be nice about it Sakura thought, except for perhaps Ino and Kiba. Ino being a little shallow and Kiba just being a bit too honest about things. It would be alright though and it was worth it.

'Hey guys.'

Sakura visibly jumped at the sudden spoken words and turned around to see Shikamaru and Neji standing there. Neji only waved at them as he kept his other hand firmly placed on Shikamaru's shoulder, who in turn kept his hands stuffed in his jeans pockets, lazily staring ahead of the road.

'H-hey, I guess we're a little late,' Sakura replied, hating herself for her broken voice, but no one really noticed. Mostly since Lee had jumped forward and had Neji locked in a tight embrace, murmuring all kinds of greetings to his friend. Neji just patted him on the back, nodding his head at every comment and occasionally throwing in an eye roll. Those two knew each other for so long already.

'Let's go, you two. Before Sakura and I get jealous,' Shikamaru muttered and just trudged on. And that was it. Shikamaru knew and just didn't care that she and Lee were together. Life continued on the same way for him, so why would he? Sakura hadn't really expected anything else and yet her heart was still thumping harshly inside her throat. If she already felt like this with these two, how would she feel with the rest of the group?

Quickly Neji caught up to Shikamaru and they walked on together, easily falling back into a silence they both preferred. No small talk filling the air. They just had this relaxed atmosphere around them. This was not the case for Sakura and Lee right now, but that was mostly her fault. Still she reached for his hand, knowing that would be enough of a sign for everyone. As soon as they saw their joined hands, they would understand she and Lee were now dating. No further explanations needed, hopefully, but unlikely.

As the picnic table came into view Sakura saw everyone was already there, except for Naruto, which sucked, because Naruto was the only one who knew about this already and he could've been her support. Not to mention Sakura could've used him to change the subject and focus on this guy he met over the internet. It was still an odd thought to Sakura, but as long as Naruto was happy, she would be too.

Hinata and Kiba were standing beside the table as Kiba tried his hardest to get Akamaru to do some kind of trick, which he obviously wasn't about to do. The dog kept turning his head to the side, looking out over the big green field he wanted to make his own already and perhaps chase some squirrels over. Ino was already sitting on a bench, her back towards Sakura now. The girl was more focused on shoving Shikamaru out of the way anyway since the couple had just made it there and had chosen a place to sit. Maybe Sakura could use the little distraction now and sit down quickly.

'Hey,' Sakura breathed out as soon as she made it to the table and slipped onto the bench opposite of Ino, Shikamaru and Neji.

Unfortunately Lee had not followed her suit and he announced himself quite loudly. 'Hello everyone!' Instantly every pair of eyes shot his way and then slowly moved down to settle on the green pants he was wearing. Even Akamaru seemed to be staring at it, this confused expression on the dog's face. It really was that bad, wasn't it?!

'Holy shit, that's one pair of green pants!' Kiba called out, eyes widened first and then he roared out a laugh. The glare Hinata shot his way went ignored and Akamaru happily jumped up at the sound of his owner laughing so loudly. It was fun and exciting and the barking that Akamaru bellowed out was not helping the situation at all.

The wide smirk forming on Ino's lips didn't predict anything good and then they started to part. Sakura was ready for any mean comment to now slip of those pink glossed lips, but someone beat Ino to it. To the speaking part that is.

'Isn't that the green jeans Gai got you for Christmas last year? I thought you only wanted to wear it to special occasions?' Neji asked, light eyes faking a curious look up at Sakura's boyfriend.

Lee was a little stunt by the sudden question and was very confused still due to Kiba's comment. Something admirable about Lee as well. No nasty comment ever really reached him. He would simply move on as if nothing was the matter and he continued living the way he wanted. Sakura could learn a lot from him.

Another excited smile formed on Lee's lips as he showed off his bright white teeth, giving off a blinding shine. 'Neji, you remembered! And you are absolutely right, but this is a special occasion. Every occasion with Sakura is special, so I need to wear my best jeans then, right?' Proudly he looked over at Sakura and again this made her heart race a little. Even if the jeans were hideous, and she could blame Gai for this now, Lee had worn them for her, because he considered them special. Why was he so sweet? Did she even deserve all this?

'It's certainly special alright,' Ino said with a grin, not impressed by Lee's little speech at all.

Slipping onto the same bench as Sakura, Lee now sat across from Ino, still oblivious to what she actually meant with her comment. 'It really is, isn't it? And I think the green matches really well with Sakura's hair as well.' That bit surprised everyone a little bit, because who would actually think to match their clothing to someone's hair? Green did fit well with her pink hair. If the jeans hadn't been so… horrifying, then it would've been alright.

'That is strangely sweet,' Kiba muttered as he flung an arm around Hinata's shoulders, making the girl stumble a little bit back and forth. 'Almost as sweet as we are, right Hinata? Tell them about what we match together!'

Clearly not happy with this turn of events Hinata averted her eyes from the group, pulling her turtleneck a little higher until it covered her lips. 'Kiba matches the leash of Akamaru to my clothes,' she said softly, a pink blush dusting on her cheeks now. The whole group had fallen silent and were now staring at the pair, Kiba standing there with a wide grin, clearly very pleased with himself, while Hinata didn't dare look up now. That was perhaps even worse then what Lee had done today. Poor Hinata. At least Kiba was good to her as far as Sakura knew. And thankfully now the green pants weren't the centre of attention.

'So we have green jeans that match pink hair, a dog leash that matches Hinata's purple shirt. What do you guys have?' Ino had now turned towards Neji and Shikamaru who were both giving her a deadpan look.

A soft laugh then moved through the group and Sakura knew everything was alright now. The first meeting hadn't gone that bad. There would be more comments to come, possibly at every get together they had from now on, but that was okay. They would get through it and she knew the group still had her back. Ino might call her later tonight and ask her what she was thinking. And Sakura would give her a simple answer.

Why think about it when she was very certain of her love for Lee?

...

Characters © Masashi Kishimoto

Let me know what you think!

Alright, I hope you guys liked this chapter! Got to know the other characters a little better as well I think :) I do have a plan for a next chapter, but this will have to wait until Fugaku is properly introduced. Indeed, a chapter from his POV ;) I am very interested about this and want to see where it takes me. Are there any other POVs people still like to see? Mikoto I know and Sasuke's friends perhaps, but you'll have to wait for both until they are introduced as well. So any other ideas?

Love, Dana!


	3. Fugaku 1

Another extra chapter, this time from Fugaku's POV. This happens when Sasuke is seventeen and Itachi is 22. This shows another side of Sasuke and why their relationship is not the best. This was quite difficult to write and I may have made some odd decisions here. I think it's right like this, but I am a little unsure. It was interesting though to write Fugaku and I hope you will enjoy!

...

Like any other night, tonight was a quiet one in the Uchiha household. Something Fugaku took pride in. Together with his lovely wife they had two children. Both boys that had never behaved wrongly before. Itachi was kind of the pride of the family, even if his eyesight would be a problem at some point. For now Itachi could still go to college and he was doing very well. And his son did not care about going out or partying with the other students either. No nights where his son had come home drunk, stumbling inside and puking all over the hallway floor.

Sasuke was still a bit too young for those things, but Fugaku didn't expect Sasuke to act out either. They were both good boys. Fugaku trusted them in making the right decisions. Both studied hard and got good grades. Sasuke would be graduating this year and then go to university. Of course the boy had gotten in right away. The future looked bright for both his sons and Fugaku was just so incredibly proud of them. This was what made his life a good one. And somewhere he believed this was his doing as well. Together with Mikoto they had raised those two boys well and had shown them what life was all about. What was important and how to behave properly.

Now Fugaku didn't expect his sons to spend their free time with their parents, so didn't think it was odd Itachi had left them for the evening and was up in his room. Sasuke was out with friends and since it was a Friday evening, Fugaku didn't really mind that. Teenagers should sometimes hang out with friends and just have fun, as long as they didn't make it too bold.

This meant that Fugaku was alone with Mikoto this evening. They had spent it watching some TV together. Some talent show Mikoto loved to watch and Fugaku just went along with it, because he was not in control of the remote, ever. Sometimes he wished he was, so that he wouldn't have to watch all those crime series his wife watched almost every night. She had seen them all already for goodness sake, so why watch it all over again? Couldn't they watch an action movie just once?

Taking the love seat for himself Fugaku had his legs propped up on the table and watched how the presenters were delaying the outcome just to create some kind of dumb tension. Who actually still enjoyed these moments? Even Mikoto rolled her eyes from her position on the couch, her legs spread out to the side over the length of it. They both had their spots in the living room and since their sons didn't take in any room anymore, they could use more for themselves. Not to mention not share the chips they bought. As long as you kept it a secret, those two would never care to look in the cabinet and then they had the snacks all to themselves. They were quite the sneaky parents that way.

After the show finally revealed who was getting kicked off, Mikoto went to bed. This meant that Fugaku was finally in control of what he wanted to watch and that was his usual show. Some talk show with fun guests. Not something he needed to pay attention to, so when he fell asleep in his chair, it wouldn't be too bad. One of their cats immediately crawled onto his lap and for a second Fugaku felt loved by it, but the cat only used him as a stepping stool to get onto the window-sill. Such a sweet little kitty.

About an hour later the front door opened, waking Fugaku up out of his nap. A quick check of his watch told him it was half an hour before midnight, so it wasn't that late. Sasuke really was a good boy. No one entered the living room, so Fugaku assumed his son had gone straight upstairs to sleep. And since Fugaku's show was over now as well, he might as well go to bed as well, right?

Stretching his arms above his head Fugaku let out a loud groan, his muscles aching as the sleep had sunk in already. He had to take two tries before Fugaku was actually able to push himself out of his comfy chair, the soft cushion begging him to stay a little longer. But the idea of the soft bed made him move on anyway. It was time to sleep and he would wake up tomorrow morning early enough again. There was no way for him to ever sleep in. His body was too used to getting up at six in the morning.

Turning off the TV Fugaku was left in a dark room, only the light outside lighting up the living room at this point. Shuffling his way to the door Fugaku thought he heard something, but shook it off. Probably one of the cats or something, messing around in the kitchen. Not really interesting. Whatever they broke, it would be cleaned up tomorrow. Pushing open the door Fugaku heard the sound again and this time he knew it weren't the cats. They were only allowed in the living room and kitchen, not upstairs. In his confusion he turned on the light in the hallway, it blinding him instantly.

Blinking his eyes to adjust to the light Fugaku instantly noticed a tall guy standing in his hallway, face turned towards the wall. A very strange position to be in and Fugaku was about to speak up until he saw two dark eyes peering over the guy's shoulder, measuring him up.

At first Fugaku didn't even realise what was going on and this gave the two teens the opportunity to break apart and just stare at him, waiting for some kind of reaction. Sasuke was about a head shorter than Fugaku was, but the guy he had brought along was a little taller than he was. Long messy hair hung in front of his face, a sharp nose peeking through the curtain of dirty hair. It wasn't a very attractive young man Fugaku had to admit and he still couldn't comprehend what was actually going on here.

Until Sasuke reached for the other teen, his dark eyes shooting a challenging look Fugaku's way. Now he understood what was going on and it still left him speechless. This didn't seem like the right way to find out your son was into men. The whole idea still seemed a little absurd and Fugaku honestly felt horrible for thinking that. Fugaku never had had a problem with homosexuals at all. Yes, there had been moments where he hadn't understood, but he had never hated them. But finding out your son was gay, especially finding out this way, was insane. How could he process this now? Then when Sasuke moved to take the boy upstairs, Fugaku finally spoke up.

'He can't stay over, Sasuke.' And that was all he said, but the hatred Sasuke then turned on him was unexpected.

The dark eyes glared harshly at him and still tried pulling the other upstairs, but Fugaku stepped in front of the stairs, making it impossible for them. 'Why the hell do you care?' Sasuke spat and this was the first time Fugaku actually noticed some signs of puberty affecting Sasuke. 'I'm old enough to have sex and you can't stop me from doing it. Or is it because it's a guy? Would you rather have me take a girl upstairs?' The accusation was out now. Sasuke had already formed his opinion about how his father would react to this and apparently Sasuke didn't think Fugaku would accept. Had he ever given that impression? Had he said the wrong thing at some point perhaps? Fugaku could not remember and he felt a little guilty, because he never wanted for Sasuke to think that. The kid was still his son after all.

But on the other hand Fugaku was also insulted. Was this really the moment to challenge your father? 'This has nothing to do with the fact that your friend is a male, Sasuke,' Fugaku responded plainly, folding his arms together to show he was still the one in control here. 'Even if your friend had been female, I wouldn't want her to stay over either. We have never met this boy before and I don't want strangers sleeping under my roof. This is still my house and you'll have to accept this rule.'

Baring his teeth Sasuke, was ready to shoot something back. It was odd to see his son like this. Fugaku could now smell the faint scent of beer, so Sasuke must be a little drunk, but Sasuke had never been so emotional. They had never really fought before and Fugaku didn't really want to fight over this as well. Right as Sasuke opened his mouth he was cut off by a door opening, someone upstairs having gotten out of bed.

Hovering their at the top of the stairs stood Mikoto in white shorts and a t-shirt, her eyes half opened to see what was going on. At first Fugaku could see the same confusion on her face as he had felt before and then slowly realisation dawned on her. Without saying anything she slowly descended down the stairs and stood one step higher than Fugaku, blocking the stairs some more.

'What's going on?' she asked softly, no hint of any emotion visible. Mikoto had always been better at handling these types of situations.

Sasuke's body had practically gone rigid as he was watching his parents, ready for any kind of response now. He would fight them, Fugaku could see that. He would challenge them. This was their son testing the boundaries. How far could he go? And would they ever really punish him?

'Sasuke brought over a friend and I don't want him to spend the night here. I've never met this boy before and I'd first like to get to know him during the day first,' Fugaku murmured, explaining what had happened and why they were currently in this situation.

Mikoto nodded first in response, letting the words settle in as her eyes slid over to the stranger in their hallway. The guy had been awfully silent and his body said he wanted to bolt right out of here, but Sasuke was still holding his hand, forcing him to stay. 'I think that is reasonable. I don't think it's the right time to make such decisions anyway, so why don't you invite your friend over for dinner tomorrow? Then we can meet him properly and after that we'll see what happens.' Mikoto shot Sasuke a smile, directing her words straight at him. This seemed like a good plan and Fugaku could really agree with this. It would be better to process this all tomorrow and then prepare for meeting this boy in the evening.

The first to respond was the other boy then, pulling his hand free from Sasuke's hold and stepping backwards towards the front door. 'I'm going now. I'll text you later, Sasuke.' And then the boy was out the door, never even saying something about their offer. This was not a future boyfriend it seemed. Just someone for the night or something of the sorts. Was Sasuke really that type of guy? No, Fugaku did not believe that. This was a teenaged boy looking for a way to shock his parents and see how they would react.

'Thank you for scaring him off,' Sasuke gritted out, his eyes darkening more and more. Why was he so angry? Had they missed something while Sasuke was growing up?

'Just go to bed, sweetie. We'll talk about it tomorrow morning,' Mikoto said soothingly.

It stayed awfully quiet after that. Sasuke was only glaring at them, trying to come up with the right words to say and Mikoto and Fugaku made no move to leave either. It was better to let their child say something. To let Sasuke speak his mind. So the stairs stayed blocked. Dark eyes looked for a way out, scanning the area around the stairs to see if he could go around them, but Sasuke found none. And then he had found his resolve. Turning around he moved to the door and left without a word, following after the friend he had brought home.

Sasuke wouldn't come home until the next day and he wouldn't say a word until dinner.

And Mikoto and Fugaku had no idea what they really had done wrong…

Characters © Masashi Kishimoto

Let me know what you think!


	4. Itachi 2

As promised a while back... The chapter that comes after chapter 38 in the main story! The moment where the family notices Sasuke's fresh hickey! Just a family moment which I enjoyed writing, so I hope you'll enjoy reading it!

...

The furnace was on in the kitchen, a pan sizzling as the meat was being prepared for dinner. Another pot was boiling with water, rice ready to be added to it. Rolling a spatula around in the pot was Fugaku, it being his turn to cook today. Which he actually enjoyed doing. Fugaku cooked more often than their mother did. She had already set the table with the plates with the nice blue motive on it, because now that they had a guest over, they would need to make a good image of course. But so far Sasuke hadn't even come home yet, so who mother was trying to impress, was beyond Itachi at this point. It had happened before that Sasuke simply wouldn't come home for dinner, even after having promised to do so.

Now Mikoto was sitting on the couch, legs propped up in a more comfortable position, eyes glued to a rerun of Masterchef Australia. Something their family always loved to watch, no matter how often they had seen the episode before. Even Sasuke would join them to watch this. Pick favourites and learn new things about cooking. Not that they would ever be this good or care that much about cooking. It was just a nice family ritual.

The swinging door opened as Fugaku pushed his way through it, finding dinner done enough to spend some time with his family. They would wait fifteen minutes until they would start eating without Sasuke and Naruto. That's how much time they usually gave Sasuke now, because it meant he would be an hour late already. The Uchihas were a patient family, but not that patient. With Naruto there they did want to leave a different kind of impression of course, but at some point it was enough. The look his parents shared, told Itachi they didn't have much faith in Sasuke's return.

Even if they didn't really speak about it, this did kind of spoil the mood. Naruto had been nice company and they would like to spend some time with the guy as well, since he was staying in their house. But it was also understandable that Sasuke wanted to keep Naruto all to himself, because this was only one week and how much was that really on how long they had already been talking? Itachi understood this and could make his peace with it, but his parents were less forgiving.

Wanting to escape the uncomfortable Itachi got up from his position on the couch and went to the hallway, finding a small bathroom break just what he needed. Who would've thought that right as he got out of the toilet, Sasuke and Naruto would walk in, still making the fifteen minute mark.

The first thing Itachi did was send a confused look Sasuke's and Naruto's way, because honestly, he hadn't expected them back on time either. Naruto's flushed face did say they had actually hurried home. Something Sasuke rarely did, because he was a little spoiled and couldn't really care less. But here they both were, trying to catch their breaths in the middle of the hallway.

'God, I hope we made it in time,' Naruto muttered, sounding completely out of breath as he straightened his back again and then finally both men noticed that they were not alone in the hallway. That was when Naruto started ranting about being late and other things, apologising profusely, but Itachi didn't catch everything the guy said. His English really wasn't that great and when someone started speaking fast, then it was just over. At least Sasuke got everything Naruto was saying and was simply sending him a glare, telling him silently to shut up already.

'Welcome home,' Itachi muttered in his best English, accent far too obvious it was even painful for him to hear. The two males now busied themselves with hanging up their coats now, not uttering a word, because apparently having Itachi there was a little awkward. And Itachi soon found out why.

Right as Itachi was about to push open the door to the living room to let the two others through, his eyes landed on something on Sasuke's neck. At first he blamed the thick glasses for making him see things, but it was the glasses that had improved his sight. So there really was no denying it. That was a hickey blooming purple right above Sasuke's collarbone, the skin around flushed an angry red. What did those two do when they were out in Amsterdam? A lot could happen there, but Naruto seemed like a decent fellow and even if Sasuke had had a crazy phase, he had been behaving appropriately again. So where would those two even have the opportunity to do such a thing?

At least Sasuke could be happy with having a nice brother. One who would not point out the obvious and not make comments that would leave everyone embarrassed. Of course he still needed to address it in some way and Itachi did this by reaching for Sasuke's collar and folding the flaps up to hide the purple bruise as best as he could. If Sasuke wouldn't move his head too much, then their parents wouldn't notice. No, that was wrong. If Sasuke didn't move his head too much, their parents would be polite enough to ignore it, because they were not blind either and this hickey was a really bad one.

At first Sasuke looked a little confused as to why Itachi actually pulled up the collar. That was until Naruto let out an awkward squeak, giving away something was wrong. Naruto had already flushed a few shades pinker and even if Sasuke did his best to stay collected and act like nothing was amiss, his cheeks did gain a nice pink hue. How easy it was to torture little brothers silently, even if Itachi didn't intend on doing so. 'Dinner is ready,' Itachi then muttered with his amazing accent, forcing himself not to cringe at the sound of it. He could see Sasuke shoot him a look that clearly judged his English abilities, but Naruto only smiled kindly, understanding exactly what he had been talking about. That was what mattered in the end.

This time really opening the door, Itachi stepped into the living room, meeting his father's bored look that seemed to be questioning why he had been on the bathroom for so long. That was until Sasuke and Naruto followed suit, red blushes still very present on their faces. It could be blamed on the hurried ride home, but Fugaku was not dumb and it really was hard to miss the bruise on Sasuke's neck. No matter how well Itachi had tried to cover it up. He could've given Sasuke a scarf, but that would raise even more suspicion, because when had Sasuke ever worn a scarf?

Thick eyebrows rose as soon as Fugaku's eyes landed on the hickey on Sasuke's neck. And Itachi had to give it to his father, because Fugaku did his best to pull his eyes away and act normal, pretend it wasn't there. Naruto awkwardly pulling at his clothes didn't help at all though. It only made Mikoto curious, because something was definitely up.

Having those two together certainly wasn't helping them, because they only made it worse. Sasuke nudged Naruto in the side, making the blond flinch and cower away a little. And right when Itachi's little brother jerked his head to the side, he uncovered the biggest hickey Itachi had ever laid eyes on. The gasp that rose from his mother's lip was eventually his undoing. It started out with a soft chuckle that soon was joined in by his father's laughter, and only a few seconds later they roared with laughter. Their mother had tears streaming down their faces as they made inaudible noises, pointing at the two boys. Scenarios were described where this could've happened, only forcing a fresh amount of chuckles out of Itachi's longs.

Sasuke regretted hurrying home for dinner.

In the middle of it all stood Naruto, not understanding a word of what everyone was saying, though he did have a pretty good clue on what they were laughing about. Beside him Sasuke was actually pouting, trying to be angry at his family for laughing at them, but even he could not deny that it had been a dumb move, and he rather not tell where he had actually gotten the bruise.

Slowly the laughter started to die out and Fugaku let out one last short laugh as he finally turned to Naruto. 'Welcome to the family!' he announced with a smile, and then it quickly disappeared. Itachi instantly got ready, because his father was very good at this. Getting under someone's skin with his acting job. And Naruto did seem like the gullible type. 'But if I ever see you putting some kind of filthy mark on my son again, I'll have your head!'

The fake English accent was awful, but the line had been perfect. They all tried their best to keep a straight face and it seemed Fugaku's line was working perfectly, because Naruto looked like he was about to shit his pants.

Mikoto then actually joined in, trying her best to come up with a quick reply that had to do the trick. 'Don't scare this one too,' she pointed out, shooting a stern look at her husband. This was honestly perfect.

'What happened to the last one?' Naruto instantly shot in, pulling at Sasuke's sleeve to get some kind of answer out of him. And even Sasuke had joined into the teasing party now, doing his best to avoid looking at Naruto, because he would start laughing then. Naruto really was on his own in this and Itachi expected him to actually make a run for it soon.

Tapping the hand on his arm, Sasuke did a fake job at comforting Naruto, still avoiding eye contact with his friend while forcing out the best tease after that. His English was sufficient enough to actually make a move. 'We don't really like talking about it. It was kind of traumatic and I haven't dared dating anyone ever since then, but I am glad you are willing to give it a try and stand up against my father. I am sure you will be able to defeat him and win my heart.'

At first Naruto's eyes had gone wider and wider, actually stepping behind Sasuke to get away from their father. Until Sasuke let out his last sentence, giving away the obvious joke they had been playing. Naruto gave Sasuke a slap against his arm as a small punishment and pointed a fake angry finger at the entire family. 'Mean!' he called out. 'You are all mean!'

The laughter started right from the beginning again, this time joined by the two fresh lovers, even if Naruto had been made fun of, twice. It was just this nice comfortable family moment for them. One Itachi held so dear. This was what family was about to him. These shared moments of joy that could brighten a room instantly. Jokes only shared between them that created this special bond. Sasuke had fought it for quite some time, but couldn't deny that he belonged here. This was his place to be. They fitted together like puzzle pieces and it seemed Naruto actually perfectly fitted on Sasuke's side.

To Itachi they were one happy family.

...

Characters © Masashi Kishimoto

Let me know what you think!

Facebook page: Dana-Eliza, check the link on my profile!

Is there another scene you would like to see still? A POV from which you'd like to read?


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